(Video) Topuria releases Road to UFC Champion video minutes after Knocking out Volkanovski

Adam Miller

In a surprising turn of events at UFC 298 in Anaheim, California, Ilia Topuria brought an abrupt end to Alex Volkanovski’s reign as the UFC featherweight champion. Topuria delivered on his promise to knock out the Australian champion, executing a powerful right hand midway through the second round.

The initial round saw a closely contested bout, with Volkanovski showing signs of gaining control. However, Topuria’s raw power became the game-changer. He sealed the fate of the 35-year-old with a huge punch, leaving him lights out. This marked the second consecutive stoppage for Volkanovski, following his previous loss to Islam Makhachev in the lightweight division.

Topuria relocated to Spain at a young age, and now etched his name in history by becoming the first UFC champion from the nation. Post-victory, an elated Topuria expressed: “I feel so happy right now. I just know my skills. I worked so hard for this, I always knew, one day I would become UFC champion. I just had to throw a lot of punches in this fight, long combinations and this is what I did.”

Following his win, Topuria expressed his wish to headline a UFC event in Spain. This would potentially mark the organization’s first visit to the country.

Meanwhile, a dejected Volkanovski acknowledged his opponent’s skills. He admitted: “Well done to him, he caught me. I was going to start working everything and he got me, credit to him. Obviously he’s a hard-hitter, we knew that going in, he wasn’t meant to land like that, but he did, credit to him.”

Volkanovski has been the featherweight champion for an extended period, and hinted at a possible rematch in Spain.

He stated: “I’ve been champion of this featherweight division for a long time, he keeps mentioning Spain, maybe we do a rematch over there in Spain.”

In the co-main event, Rob Whittaker showcased his resilience with a unanimous decision victory over Paulo Costa. Despite facing a challenging wheel kick from the Brazilian in the opening round, Whittaker did enough to secure a points win. He ended up solidifying his position in the middleweight title picture.